Overview
- The European Commission issued formal preliminary findings that Facebook and Instagram use autoplay, infinite scroll, highly personalized recommendations and notification patterns that promote compulsive use and inadequate risk mitigation.
- The regulator told Meta to disable autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introduce effective screen‑time breaks and make recommendation algorithms less engagement‑driven, with Meta given a chance to respond before a final ruling.
- If the findings are confirmed Meta could face penalties up to 6% of its worldwide annual turnover and mandatory product changes that may reduce time spent on the platforms and affect ad revenue.
- Meta disputes the Commission’s conclusions and points to measures such as Teen Accounts as evidence of protections for minors while saying it will engage with EU authorities to contest the case.
- The move follows a two‑year DSA probe that began in 2024, mirrors similar action the Commission took against TikTok in February, and comes as parallel U.S. lawsuits by state attorneys general press claims that platforms addict children.